All the yes for the 'Mad Max' Oscar noms

This morning, all of Hollywood held their breath waiting for the official announcement of this year’s Academy Award nominations. The Oscars are just six weeks away, and with a lot of huge blockbusters and acclaimed films released lately, it was all very up in the air. But now we know who is leading the pack, and surprisingly, Mad Max: Fury Road is pretty close to the top.

While it wasn’t a huge shock that Leo DiCaprio’s mega dark and harsh The Revenant is up for the most awards — 12 in total — people are surprised that the latest in the Mad Max franchise is in close second. The film is up for 10 awards, including Best Picture. Can we just say . . . OMG WE’RE SO EXCITED.

Why, you ask, is our excitement so real? The reasons are many. 1. Charlize Theron. 2. Plot-line of the action gods. 3. This film is a feminist tour de force and we’re just thrilled it’s being recognized.

The film might be called “Mad Max” but as most reviews and opinion pieces about the movie state, it’s really Theron’s character, Imperator Furiosa, who is this movie’s hero. To make matters even more interesting Imperator Furiosa is not a hero inspite of being a woman, she is an ever greater hero because of it. As was written in The Daily Beast, she’s a character “whose heroism and womanhood are intertwined, each part fueling the other.” This is especially notable in the action genre where women are typically relegated to that whole damsel role, while it is the men who inevitably save the day. This is a movie that turns that dynamic on its head, and likely shifted the paradigm for movie generations to come.

In yet another year where #OscarsSoWhite is rightfully trending, we’re thankful that the movie pot is being stirred by one very incredible action movie helmed by one thrillingly feminist heroine.